Kurt Masur

A great conductor; he brought it old-school -- via the New York Times. I love this guy -- sentimental old Saxon! He demanded discipline in rehearsals, and his sound is clean, clean, clean -- just devastatingly articulate. He invests the material with meaning because he demands meaning from the material. This is the kind of guy he was -- he un-screwed-up the New York Philharmonic, after it had been abused by Boulez and Mehta. He was a darling of East Germany, but the story of a strett musician there getting kicked around by the governments led him to champino an anti-government movement; in its name he susccessful defused a violent confrontation between police and protesters. In other words, a good citizen. Thanks, Kurt!